published on poverty-unpacked.org, 24.02.2021
Impacts of social health insurance schemes are more far reaching than one would think. Given the fact that more countries are going to implement social health insurance schemes, it is paramount to understand their entire potential in reducing poverty. From a policy perspective, it is important to consider the indirect impacts of social health insurance schemes such as reduction of child labor and increase of school attendance in the cost-benefit analysis. Social health insurance is not merely about securing access to health care, it also has the potential to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty when families no longer have to engage in negative coping strategies.